After spending 11 days in Europe in close contact with his team, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor says he feels good about the group that will compete without Kevin Garnett when the regular season begins next month.

Taylor said he would say so if he didn’t feel right about the team. He attended practices, games and team meetings.

“It’s going to be fun watching them,” Taylor said. “But everyone’s got to realize we’re going to be young. (Coach Randy Wittman) is going to play the young guys a lot.

“I think the fans will like it because we’ll be pleasantly entertaining. Now, when we’ll start winning and how good we will be … we’ve got a bunch of guys who can play, but they will have to learn to play together.”

“There is so much you can’t control that happens in this business, and things can change so quickly. So you continue to stay positive and continue to work hard, whatever my role is to help this team win, whether it’s in practice every day giving the defense the best look possible, and at the same time preparing myself for Sundays in case of a different scenario.”

Bollinger, 27, who lives in Eagan, has another year on his Vikings contract.

“Human nature is to feel sorry for yourself and make excuses and whatever, but you kind of have to fight that and say, ‘You know what, I don’t have to like it, but I have to accept where I’m at and make the best of it and be ready for when it comes around my way again, if it does.’

“It happened to me in New York when they signed Vinny (Testaverde). They brought Vinny back and sat me down. And then I think it was two, three weeks later and I was starting, right back in there. So you’ve just got to keep fighting and hold on tight.”

Ryan Longwell, whose 55-yard field goal Sunday lifted the Vikings past the Bears in Chicago, and wife Sarah have sold their Bearpath villa in Eden Prairie for $940,000. But, Longwell said Wednesday, they aren’t leaving town. They subsequently bought a townhome in Bearpath.

“Downsize,” Ryan said.

Longwell, 33, has three years remaining on his $10 million, five-year Vikings contract that included a $3 million signing bonus. Meanwhile, after Sunday’s game the former Packer received a couple of text messages from his former teammates in Green Bay thanking him for his winning kick.

Gophers quarterback Adam Weber is the top freshman in the Big Ten Conference at midseason, according to collegefootballnews.com.

Look for third baseman-pitcher Joe Loftus of Holy Angels to commit to a baseball tender from Vanderbilt, and for pitcher Brad Hand and pitcher-shortstop Jake Esch of Cretin-Derham Hall to commit to Georgia Tech.

Former Gophers football coach Glen Mason will work Saturday from the Big Ten Network studio in Chicago for the first time, instead of covering a game.

Up against Sunday Night Football on NBC-TV and baseball’s National League Championship Series on TBS, the Wild drew nearly 54,000 viewers (2.8 rating, 4 share) for their Fox Sports Net North telecast against the Anaheim Ducks.

Charley Walters’ column appears Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. He can be reached at cwalters@pioneerpress.com.

DON’T PRINT THAT

Look for the Timberwolves to make newcomer Al Jefferson a five-year contract offer soon in the $50 million range. Jefferson, who plans to buy former Wolves coach Dwane Casey‘s Minneapolis townhouse when he gets a new deal, will have until Oct. 31 to accept or reject the offer.

There is nothing to a rumor that new Timberwolf Juwan Howard could be traded to the Boston Celtics to be a teammate of Kevin Garnett. Howard came to the Wolves with the understanding that he would play with Garnett, who later was traded to Boston. Several teams could become trade possibilities for Howard under certain scenarios, but the Celtics are not among them.

Sophomore offensive linemen Ned Tavale of the Gophers and Rafael Eubanks of Iowa, both teammates of Matt Carufel at Cretin-Derham Hall, are trying to persuade the offensive lineman who is transferring from Notre Dame to choose their respective schools.

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